Wellness Warriors

Dr Joel Fuhrman (Nutritarian)

Dr Fuhrman’s approach to nutrition (his Nutritarian Plan) is a low carb but high nutrient diet. He recommends a diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds while cutting back on high carbohydrate, high energy foods. He believes the best health can be achieved by maximising the nutrient density of your food. He also recommends certain dietary supplements and a small amount of animal product. It’s no doubt that it works and that he is committed to the health of his patients. Certainly his diet would be very useful for weight reduction. However I believe low carb diets leave you hungry. They require willpower and commitment that normal individuals can’t maintain. Eventually you will give up and binge – another yo-yo diet?

I believe however that Dr Furhman has a lot to offer. His books and recipes are great. Following his Nutritarian Plan will lead to excellent health and maximum weight loss.

Personally I don’t see any health problems with a high carb. diet. In fact I believe whole starchy foods like potatoes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, whole grains, legumes together with a few non starchy vegetables and a couple of daily fruits is the way to go. Added oils are never a good idea; the less processed the better; a small amount of salt or sugar is OK if you must;no supplements other than B12; a bit of sunshine; go easy on the nuts – none if you have heart disease; No animal products whatsoever – they are completely unnecessary and immoral. They cause you harm. Research has shown a very small consumption will lead to a disproportionate damage to your health.

I saw the advantages of a starch based diet in the early 1980’s. I had occasion to work for a short time in Bangladesh. In those days I expected on my arrivalto see a nation of skinny, gaunt, malnourished people. In fact they were slim, attractive and very healthy looking. There were many happy, active and healthy groups of children running about. What did the Bangladesh people eat? – almost exclusively white rice; white rice with just a few vegetables, unless they invited you to dine with them; Then they would perhaps add a little chicken.There were a few fat people about. The locals would admire those people – they were rich and successful. I would guess their dinner plates would look more like ours.

What I have described of course is the McDougall diet. I personally do tweak it a bit. I put a dessert spoon of ground flax seed on my morning oats or in my morning NutriBullet juice; I have a few Walnuts with my daily fruit in the evening. I take B12 in the form of Methyl Cobalamin. The more common form of B12 available (CyanoCobalamin) didn’t work for me. You don’t need much of this vitamin, but overdose slightly. There is no danger in that.

Don’t have check-ups with your doctor unless you believe you have an illness or unless you are on medication when you decide to make this dietary change.

I suggest that you have an RO water filter particularly if you live in an area where the water has fluoride added to it. This is a public health hazard.

Use Iodised salt or better still consume sea vegetables occasionally. They can make a tasty addition to many recipes. Australia, with its ancient weathered landscapes, can have Iodine deficient inland soils. Iodine is a common deficiency in aboriginal people.

CAUTION – A WHOLE FOOD PLANT BASED DIET WILL RAPIDLY IMPROVE ANY EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITION. THEREFORE IF YOU CHOOSE TO TRY THIS DIET AND ARE ON MEDICATION FOR YOUR CONDITION YOU SHOULD CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR AND HAVE HIM MONITOR YOUR IMPROVEMENT AND ADJUST YOUR MEDICATION